The present invention relates in general to an air conditioning system for cooling an interior space of a structure. More specifically, the present invention relates to an air conditioning system that includes a thermal storage subassembly that can be positioned interior or exterior to the structure. In one embodiment of the present invention, the thermal storage subassembly includes a storage tank with a cold storage fluid and a pair of heat exchange coils. One coil is connected to a condensing unit as part of a refrigerant circuit for cooling of the cold storage fluid. The other coil is connected to a heat absorption coil as part of a second, separate fluid circuit. The heat absorption coil is positioned within the conditioned space. The two heat exchange coils are positioned within the same storage tank and are only “coupled” by means of the cold storage fluid.
Speaking generally with regard to heating and cooling and power consumption, one of the issues that needs to be addressed in terms of power usage is how to manage peak usage in hopes of reducing, if not eliminating, brown out conditions. Even though this may be a monumental task with numerous issues, it is nonetheless a continuing problem, especially in densely populated, high ambient temperature locations such as southern California. One of the main contributors to peak power usage is the air conditioning of homes and office buildings.
The present invention is directed to improving the efficiency of air conditioning systems and to contributing to reductions in peak power usage. The cold storage fluid of the present invention transfers cooling to the interior of the structure as heat is extracted. At night, when the outside temperature is lower and power consumption is reduced, the condensing unit of the present invention is then run in order to cool the cold storage fluid.